All photographs from Pigeon Culture are Copyright Casey Templeton.

The former CPOY Templeton spent a considerable amount of time researching and shooting this story. He also compiled good audio interviews which served as perfect additions to the still photography. I am also particularly excited about a group of photographs Casey made on “thoroughbred” pigeons that really lets this remarkable project sing. I sat down with Casey over email for a few questions and here are his words:

Erik: How did you become interested in photographing pigeon culture?

Casey: I started this project when I was doing my internship with National Geographic.  I wanted to find a story that everyone could relate to but I wanted try my best to give people a whole new perspective on it.  I was taking a walk around downtown DC to try to brainstorm and I saw this lady get bombarded by pigeons and it was like a light bulb went off.

Erik: From planning to publishing how much time has this project taken you?

Casey: Throughout the project, I most likely spend 95% of my time researching and making phone calls and if I was lucky, spent the other 5% on actually shooting. From shooting to editing, to putting together a multimedia package, I most likely spend around 250 hours.

Erik: Your photographic style seems to take a radical and exciting shift in the “thoroughbreds” section. You move from documentary to almost studio portraiture. Could you tell me why you chose this style and elaborate on the technical details?

Casey: Shooting the project I started by really concentrating on the men in the sport and only photographed the birds as an accessory to the story.  Then, I was knocked back into place by my mentor Tommy Thompson, who told me that I needed to remember what the story was about.  So I realized I needed to show how these birds are such amazing flyers. We see pigeons flying everyday but these are not your standard pigeons so I wanted to show how graceful they could be.
Technically, I rented a Jeep Commander on my second trip down to Spring Hill and created a PVC pipe studio with $250+ of black velvet.  I set up 3 flashes in the back;  2 of them were pressed against the ceiling with the PVC on the top left and right, and the last one was shooting straight up from the floor.  All were connected to a pocket wizard.  The settings on the camera were a different story and I can’t give all my secrets away!

Erik: The story of love seems to anchor the project. The love relates to us on a human level. How did that inspire you with the project?

Casey: Pigeons are certainly hopeless romantics and so am I.  That is why I ended the project on that note as well as placed it in the section called “Why Pigeons.”  I attribute the same philosophy that the pigeons have to my life and photography career.  Keep my priorities straight and always keep my faith and family first above all else.